T/A Fantasy Camaro "finished!"

[btaylor]

This car is pretty special to me. It is built from a Kit Harry sent me a couple of days ago. It also sits on a refurbished 20 plus year old Pro Track chassis, that belonged to a slot racer, and good friend of Harry's that has passed away. It is a Fantasy livery like all my others, this one being a Penske car that never existed. Chassis is basic Pro track, It is a fixed wheelbase version that I shortened to fit the Z28 body. Its running a Jaws motor, Jet flag, Pro track wheels front and rear, with my urethanes all around. rears are my new Trifecta T/A,s I am playing with gearing on this one. I am currently using a 9/36 combo, by way of an old Cox crown. The car has serious jump out of the corners, and top end on my track was not affected by the short ratio. all in all, a neat car, and a good runner. This one is going in the fleet, where it will remain permanently. Thanks again Harry, It is a special car.

[TuscoTodd]

Great looking build Bob!
:text-bravo:

[Z-carfan]

That is a beautiful build, excellent build Bob.

Looking forward to sharing my build when it’s ready.

[slothead]

Beautiful car Bob, you are quite the builder.

My comment is, given your ability to create great looking cars, why only fantasy liveries? I'm a huge Trans Am fan and started collecting and building anything that looked the part, but then decided all my cars would be replicas of cars that ran in the series. Having a Mark Donohue Camaro lined up next to a George Folmer Mustang, with all the history behind those cars, adds to the fun I get out of the hobby. I love being able to honor the best cars, drivers, and teams that ran in the races I enjoy recreating.

I'm not suggesting you change what you do, just creating a friendly conversation.

[btaylor]

Slothead, I'm glad you asked that question! It gives me a chance to get on my soapbox and explain. First, let me say that I have been heavily involved in 1:1 racing all my adult life. (still race autocross with a dedicated race car). That being said, I have raced just about every venue there is, from motorcycles, to go carts, alcohol Dragsters, Land speed, SCCA. you name it. I LOVE racing! My slot cars are dedicated and pay homage to the guys like me who have worked a 8 to 5 all their lives, and done work on the side, after hours, and weekends to keep some sort of racer in the running. If you notice a starting lineup shot of any venue, you almost always recognize the first row,or maybe even the first couple of rows, But do you ever wonder who those guys are behind the famous names? You know, the local service station that sponsored and help build that --------- you fill in the blank. The car or bike, or boat, that always shows up, but unless there is a hug pileup, never quite gets in the money. These are the guys that pay the bills at the track. Tireless efforts going after that brass ring, that is usually only available to the big money teams. Everyone has a hometown hero, be it dirt track, drag racing, speed boat racing, you name it, but does anyone know who he is in say, Podunk Iowa? Not so much. So to summarize, My cars will always be the ones filling the pack. They look like everyone else's cars, and go around the same tracks, but maybe are not quite as famous as the rest. (yet).
One more thing, then ill shut up. I also like the challenge of making a slot car look the part of whatever venue its built for, without having a template to go by. Hope this explains my choice of fantasy liveries, and by no means am I belittling the top names in the sports, they earned what they achieved.

Bob

[HomeRacingWorld]

I knew you would turn it into a great race car Bob. That is what this is all about, having fun.

[Fitzy]

Well Said Bob!

[dw5555]

[slothead]

Bob, thanks for the reply and depth of comments. I've never driven a race car but over the years have attended as many races, mostly short track dirt modified, as I could get to. Years ago all my vacation time went towards the mid-week shows all over the northeast. On weekends I'd go to races Friday and Saturday nights, and if possible Sunday afternoon/evening too. By going to upstate NY or PA I could find tracks running races throughout the weekend. On occasion I even got to 2 races in one day if one show got over quickly while another was delayed - if I hurried I could get there in time to see the feature.

I too always have had respect for the 'little guys' who show up weekly but rarely get the spotlight. I love dirt racing inverted starts where the points leaders would start around 18th in a field of 24 cars and have 30 laps to get to the front. Generally they would, and watching them power through the field while battling each other was the main show, but when a winless regular actually held them off and took the checkered flag you could see how fulfilling it was. I'd try to go into the pits afterwards to shake their hand.

As I continue to build and collect replicas I'll make sure each field also honors the teams and driers who constantly showed up and made the series successful while rarely ending up in victory lane. I've thought about this in slot car racing too, remembering the guys who showed up at commercial or club track races week after week but where not top runners or contenders. While 2 or 3 guys might dominate the series, on a 6 or 8 lane track you ideally need 8 - 10 guys to make it the most fun. Kudos to the guys who showed up regularly for the love of racing and the comradery.